Thank you for posting the URL to the PDF. This looks like a pretty comprehensive paper. But you are right. When it comes to managing the hospital RF specturm, it seems like a lot of education/training programs are needed.

Bear in mind that few in healthcare have any technical RF training or experience. This makes it quite a challenge. My own expertise is a combination of military electronics tech training, the wee bit of electromagnetics I got in my EE undergrad and amatuer radio. And I'm considered an expert in the healthcare community (pretty scary).

DrQuine, you hit on the main problem with so-called 'Super Wi-Fi' - it is not able to ride in common with the popular version of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi or, for that matter, as a common mode of operation for SmartPhones and other mobile devices.

Combined with the limitations imposed on the narrowband junk spectrum allowed for use by our benevolent overlord government (LOL) in allocating the public (sic) spectrum for public use, the lack of a way to leverage the clumsy application of W.S. into widespread use relegates it to failure as a pervasive technology and, probably being taken back for re-allocation and use by licensed operators.

Give White Space experiment five years to die... and meanwhile for mainstream wireless to become more adaptive including use of some of the mechanisms of White Spaces.. minus the right for the public to use it directly.

The problem with White Spaces is lack of political and industry muscle to cause there to be wider channels and co-allocation with commercial applications. For instance, the incentive auction could be arranged to require dual-MAC use.

It's not the data rate that makes it "Super WiFi" The current rules (10-174 order) allow transmission at (for af and wran) at 4W which is 10 to 100 times more power than WiFi which typically operates in the milliwatt (EIR) range. This is likely to expanded to even higher power signals. The WRAN (802.22) variants will eventually operate up to approximately 60km circumference.

In addition, the spectrum cited in the article is only one band. As with other WiFi standards (that operate at 2.4, 5.8, etc.) af can operate in the DTV bands (which overlaps also with wireless microphones).

Although clearly there is less available spectrum in rural areas, the technology is extremely useful for covering gaps between APs in rural environments. With the explosion of APs and soon -- real WiFi mobility, af will eventually allow a hybrid approach with ac, n, g, and b providing the micro coverage and af providing macro coverage.

Not only that, Rick, I think, what seems like a real advantage (or purpose) of bringing broadband Interent to the uderserved population would get lost...if we spin it "rural narrowband." No? It just sounds too negative!

In conjunction with unveiling of EE Times’ Silicon 60 list, journalist & Silicon 60 researcher Peter Clarke hosts a conversation on startups in the electronics industry. One of Silicon Valley's great contributions to the world has been the demonstration of how the application of entrepreneurship and venture capital to electronics and semiconductor hardware can create wealth with developments in semiconductors, displays, design automation, MEMS and across the breadth of hardware developments. But in recent years concerns have been raised that traditional venture capital has turned its back on hardware-related startups in favor of software and Internet applications and services. Panelists from incubators join Peter Clarke in debate.